As with anything on the internet, misinformation about hearing care and hearing loss abounds. A simple search for ?online hearing aids? reveals all kinds of self-proclaimed hearing loss solutions. Many of them advertise affordable devices than those you?ll find in clinics. They also claim they bypass the need for a visit to a hearing care professional with phrases like ?no appointment needed?. So in a world where these solutions are available, what are the benefits of a hearing evaluation?
We hear all kinds of stories about personal struggles with hearing loss from new patients at The Hill Hear Better Clinic. But we also hear a lot of stories of confusion and disappointment as they explain how they tried to find solutions for their hearing loss before coming to us. These over-the-counter or online devices often come with hidden drawbacks – or even dangers.
So what are you missing out on when you buy one of these ?online hearing aids?? Let?s learn more about the risks of DIY hearing aids and the benefits of a hearing evaluation and a professional fitting.
Lifting Regulations
If you feel as though there?s been a sudden boom in the availability of OTC hearing aids, you?d be right. Thanks to the lifting of government regulations that have been in place for years, these devices can be purchased from retailers with no fitting required. They can make their way from a warehouse right into your ear with no professional consultation in between. And that?s where things start to go wrong.
Some people are immediately put off by the words government regulations. But when it comes to your hearing healthcare, those regulations exist for several very good reasons. When hearing aids first became available, hearing care had a ?wild west? problem. Anyone could sell them, whether they knew anything about hearing care or not.
The problem with this is that your ears are very sensitive organs, and the wrong kind of hearing care may not help you at all – or worse, cause even more harm. The regulations that were put in place protect patients from faulty products or poor treatment and help them get the hearing care they need.
Think of it this way: if you were injured and had an open wound, would you buy a kit online and stitch yourself up? Of course not! Well, we hope not, at least. You would seek help from a licensed doctor or emergency clinic, where they would provide the care you need to heal properly.
The Benefits of a Hearing Evaluation
Your ears are complicated. But don?t take it personally – everyone?s are. Because each person experiences hearing loss differently, there’s no one-size-fits-all device to treat it. In fact, there are hundreds of hearing aids available, but not all of them will be right for your ears, your lifestyle, or your unique hearing loss.
Adjusting a hearing aid is not as simple as it may sound. Your ears take in sound at a range of frequencies, and your hearing loss may mean that some of these frequencies are affected more than others. Tuning hearing aids incorrectly may not compensate for the frequencies in which you?re experiencing hearing loss and can even cause damage by overcompensating with too much noise.
To make matters even more complicated, there isn?t just one kind of hearing loss. There are actually three: Sensorineural, Conductive, and Mixed.
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when these hair cells are damaged or degrade over time and is often addressed with hearing aids. Conductive hearing loss, on the other hand, has a wider variety of causes including wax impaction, a breached eardrum, or more serious conditions like tumors or bony protrusions in the ear canal. Mixed hearing loss, as the name suggests, is a combination of sensorineural and conductive issues.
One of the biggest benefits of a hearing evaluation is that you don?t have to tackle these issues alone. A professional audiologist can help you find hearing aids that are right for you and your lifestyle and custom fit them to your ears. They?ll fine-tune the devices to compensate for your unique hearing loss. Some causes of conductive hearing loss can be signs of serious illnesses that affect more than just your ears. If that?s the case, your audiologist can refer you to the proper professionals to get the treatment you need.
Why the Best Care is Essential
When it comes to your hearing loss treatment, professional care makes all the difference. At The Hill Hear Better Clinic, we offer care based on proven best practices. This list of guidelines is industry-approved by the leading doctors and researchers in audiology and helps us ensure that we?re providing the best hearing loss treatment possible. We also stay up to date with the latest research and treatment methods in our field to offer you the holistic hearing care that’s right for you.
We?ve also chosen to equip our clinic with state-of-the-art technology like Real Ear Measures, Otoscan 3D ear scanning, and Cognivue cognitive testing. Using these devices, we can find the source of your hearing loss then precisely measure and treat it with a solution tailored to your unique ears. We can also offer the referrals you need to healthcare professionals in the area if we find an issue in your ears that?s beyond the scope of our care.
When it comes to your ears, you almost always get the care you pay for. Without professional treatment, a hearing aid may not do anything to help you. A trip to the audiologist may cost more than a hearing aid you can order online, but you?ll get more value and a better quality of life from the care you receive from a professional.
Ready to find the right solution to your hearing loss? Contact us today to book your hearing evaluation at The Hill Hear Better Clinic!
